Community Garden Outreach introduces students to environmental, cultural, social, political, and philosophical issues that circulate through and around food production, preparation, and distribution. Through readings, guests, and class discussions, students will learn about sustainable and unsustainable systems of food production. Through field trips, homestead workshops, and our on-campus farmstand, students will engage directly with various sustainable food practices. This service-learning course is offered in tandem with Justin Valone’s Urban Ag II and both are part of USF’s Garden Project living learning community.

Learning Goals:1. To continue managing – effectively and collaboratively – the campus farmstand;2. To develop advanced skills in preparing, preserving, and distributing food; and3. Through field trips to San Francisco/Bay Area urban farms and gardens, to explore first-hand some of challenges and opportunities in urban agriculture.

Friday, February 25Garden Guests: Daniel Tucker and Anne HamerskyRead selected chapters from Amy Franceschini and Daniel Tucker’s Farm Together Now: A portrait of people, places and ideas for a new food movement (2010).

Friday, April 29Garden Guest: Marco Perez Navarrete, Permaculture Institute of El SalvadorRead selections from Raj Patel, Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System (Melville House, 2008).

Friday, May 6First Friday Farmstand

This class has no final.

Course Grading:Weekly Reflections - 40%Farmstand Participation - 40%Classroom Participation - 20%Rules:1. No late work accepted.2. In class, on field trips, and during farm stand, no drinking out of non-reusable containers.

Green Media is a media studies production class devoted to making media about making food. In this class, we will learn how to use social media to research, prepare, document, and share a selection of dishes and meals. Along the way, we will explore different meanings of food, the history of television cooking shows, connections between food and culture, and strategies for seasonal cooking.

Learning Outcomes:1. To learn how to use social media to make and share media about making food;2. To develop a unique, creative, and compelling voice within your media work; and3. To learn how to collaborate creatively and effectively.

Books:o Kathleen Collins' Watching What We Eat: The Evolution of Television Cooking Shows (Continuum, 2009).o Novella Carpenter's Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer (Penguin Press, 2009).o Although you will be able to complete your assignments with a free flickr account, you are strongly encouraged to purchase a flickr pro account for $25/year.

Tuesday, April 19Read: Kim Severson, Neighbor, Can You Spare a Plum? New York Times, June 10, 2009; Fallen Fruit, “Take Back the Fruit: Public Space and Community Activism, from Food, edited by John Knechtel (MIT Press, 2007).

Attendance Policy:Missing class, or attending class unprepared, will significantly affect your final grade. If you do miss class, contact a classmate or two to find out what we discussed in class and ask to borrow their notes. After doing this, if you have questions about missed material, visit me during office hours.

Rules:1. No late work accepted.2. No drinking out of non-reusable containers during class.

Golden Gate Park is a First-Year Seminar that explores the history, built environment, popular narratives, and mixed uses of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Through readings, class discussions, and library workshops, students will develop a broad and keen understanding of the park; through field trips, students gain valuable on-site experience in and with the park. An accelerated writing seminar, Golden Gate Park fulfills USF’s Core A2 requirement.

Learning OutcomesIn this class, students will learn:o How to read, analyze, and summarize complex texts from multiple fields and subjects;o How to develop interesting research questions based on outside research and individual interests;o How to use Gleeson Library and online tools to find relevant material from a range of sources and disciplines;o How to write, edit, revise, and polish clear and compelling essays that, when necessary, keep with the conventions of academic and/or professional discourse; ando How some sand dunes called the Outside Lands became Golden Gate Park.

Thursday, January 27Read: Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, “‘They Say’: Starting with What Others Are Saying,” in They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing (or TSIS), pp. 19-29. Twitter Workshop.

Week 2:Tuesday, February 1Read: Graff and Birkenstein, “‘Her Point Is’: The Art of Summarizing,” in TSIS, pp. 30-41; and Raymond H. Clary, “The Birth of American Parks,” in Making of Golden Gate Park: The Early Years: 1865-1906, pp. 1-5.

Thursday, February 3Read: Clary, “The Beginning of Golden Gate Park” and “The Visionary Plan of William Hammond Hall,” in Making of Golden Gate Park, pp. 11-27.

Week 3:Tuesday, February 8Field trip: Conservatory of Flowers

Thursday, February 10Paper 1 due in class. Library Workshop.

Week 4:Tuesday, February 15Read: Graff and Birkenstein, “‘As He Himself Puts It’: The Art of Quoting,” in TSIS, pp. 42-51; and Clary, “Politics in the Park,” in Making of Golden Gate Park, pp. 33-43.

Week 6:Tuesday, March 1Read: Graff and Birkenstein, “‘Yes / No / Okay, But’: Three Ways to Respond,” in TSIS, pp. 55-67; and Clary, “Midwinter Fair,” in Making of Golden Gate Park, pp. 110-125.

Thursday, March 3Read: Graff and Birkenstein, “‘And Yet’: Distinguishing What You Say from What They Say,” in TSIS, pp. 68-77; and Pollock and Katz, “The Music Concourse,” in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, pp. 50-79.

Week 7:Tuesday, March 8Field trip: The Music Concourse and The Japanese Tea Garden

Thursday, March 24Read: Graff and Birkenstein, “‘So What? Who Cares?’: Saying Why It Matters,” in TSIS, pp. 92-101; and Sally B. Woodbridge, John M. Woodbridge, and Chuck Byrne, “Golden Gate Park & Vicinity,” in San Francisco Architecture: An Illustrated Guide to the Outstanding Buildings, Public Art Works, and Parks in the Bay Area of California, pp. 197-205.

Attendance Policy:Because this is an accelerated writing seminar, attendance is crucial. Students are expected to attend each class and field trip, have all readings finished prior to class or field trip, and be ready to participate in class discussions. Missing class, or attending class unprepared, will significantly affect your final grade. If you do miss class, contact a classmate or two to find out what you missed and ask to borrow their notes. After doing this, if you have questions about missed material, visit me during office hours.

Academic Integrity:Plagiarism is using another person’s words and/or ideas without giving appropriate credit. Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic honor and personal integrity and can result in failing an assignment, being removed from this course, or even being asked to leave USF.

Rules:1. No late work accepted.2. In class and on field trips, no drinking out of non-reusable containers.

i am an associate professor of environmental studies and urban ag at the university of san francisco. i live in oakland with sarah and our daughter siena. contact me via the email address listed on this page.